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Peter Michael HamelA visionary composer and musician, Peter Michael Hamel is one of the foremost experimentalists to emerge on the Krautrock scene. His multi-national group Between recorded many remarkable albums, and as a soloist Peter has developed unique twists on ethnic and minimalist styles. He could be seen as the German Terry Riley because of this, as he is also a music theorist, and has written a fascinating book "Through Music To The Self". Peter's background includes studies in classical composition in the mid-60's, establishing a new-music studio in Munich in 1967 together with Ulrich Stranz, and also involvement with Munich underground jazz and rock bands. His debut as a soloist was quite a revolutionary opus, featuring organ, prepared piano and electronics, with a much more experimental approach in technique and structure than Riley, notably by the use of prepared piano he also showed an affinity with John Cage. His ethnic studies, naturally lead to even more cross-cultural music blending in to the Between sound, and also his next solo THE VOICE OF SILENCE, which was a very strange concoction of avant-garde, systemic and Indian musics, and in itself, unique. The double BUDDHIST MEDITATION EAST WEST features one LP of Peter attempting his vision of Tibetan music, whereas the other LP is authentic recordings of Tibetan monks. Most of his later work, starting with the groundbreaking NADA, has centred on lengthy melodic floating pieces featuring synthesizers and organ, notably the ethereal duo of COLOURS OF TIME and BARDO, and the extraordinary church organ based opus ORGANUM. All developing a unique niche as a creative pioneer. As previewed by TRANSITION, mostly a classical styled piano album, latterly Peter has returned to his classical roots, and has gone on to produce several serious orchestral albums (starting with THE ARROW OF TIME/THE CYCLE OF TIME in 1992). Although some were composed or recorded many years ago, and prove that Peter had a hidden side, musically these are well-out of the scope of this book! Peter Michael Hamel (organ, voice, electronics, piano), + Anatol Arkus (synthesizer) HAMEL (1970) THE VOICE OF SILENCE BUDDHIST MEDITATION EAST WEST (1973) NADA (1975-76) COLOURS OF TIME (12/79) BARDO (1981) TRANSITION ORGANUM (5/8/85) LET IT PLAY (1979-83) Hammerfest A long established political rock group, though not so well documented in their early days, they'd moved on to a mix of psychedelic rock and fusion by the time of their debut. Elements of Jane, Oktober and Embryo can be found in their unusual blend. Wolfgang Kuhlmann (guitar), Achim Patz (flute, vocals), Hans Schemel (bass), Klaus Otto (drums) featured on: VLOTHO-WINTERBERG HIER BEI UNS Live SCHLEUDERTEST DEZENTE ELEMENTE Hanuman Berlin band formed by Murphy Blend organist Wolf-Rüdiger Uhlig in May 1971 at a festival in Munich, along with a trio of jazz and blues musicians. Hanuman took the Murphy Blend sound, sans the classical style, hinting at Out Of Focus, but more lyrical and offbeat. The odd German vocals can be off-putting to Wolf-Rüdiger Uhlig (organ, piano, vocals), Peter Barth (flute, alto sax, vocals), Jörg Hahnfeld (bass), Thomas Holm (drums) HANUMAN (11-29/10/71) Hardcake Special Widely regarded as the worst album on the Brain 1000 series. Despite being a supergroup, Hardcake Special were not at all special in any way, with an album of predominantly American styled rock, they even sound like The Eagles on occasions. At their best they were a bit like Karthago, but still rather ordinary stuff. Andy Kirnberger (guitars, vocals, piano), Jochen Leuschner (lead vocals, guitar, percussion), Reinhart Bopp (guitar, vocals), Günter Bopp (bass, vocals), Ron Sheepmaker (pianos, organ, vibes, pianett), Hans Harbrecht (drums, percussion), + Rainer Bach (steel guitar) HARDCAKE SPECIAL (1974) Harlis Formed in September 1974 by former Jane members Charly Maucher and Wolfgang Krantz along with early Scorpions member Werner Löhr. To many, Harlis reflects the poorer moments of Jane's output. HARLIS took the hard rock style from JANE III and presented a reasonable selection of songs with some good guitar breaks. NIGHT MEETS THE DAY was a concept album, on which Harlis ended up sounding more American than German! Charly Maucher (bass, vocals), Werner Löhr (drums, vocals), Wolfgang Krantz (guitar, choir, piano, synthesizer, bells), Arndt Schulz (guitars, vocals) HARLIS (9-10/75) NIGHT MEETS THE DAY (12/76-1/77) Harmonia Established in parallel to Neu! and Cluster, the super trio of Michael Rother, Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius explored a wide range of synth and electronic rock styles. Initially they were formed as a live band, but also recorded two very fine albums of music that combined varying degrees of Cluster and Neu! styles. MUSIK VON HARMONIA is most notable for the deep-space trek "Sehr Kosmische" and strange ambient textures, whereas DELUXE featuring Mani Neumeier on drums, recalled the Neu! sound but in a highly electronic Kraftwerk type setting. A concert of Harmonia together with Brian Eno at the Hamburg Fabrik Club in 1974 led to a friendship that bore fruit on the later Cluster & Eno albums, and also recordings that have recently appeared on Roedelius' solo THEATRE WORKS. Check Cluster and Michael Rother sections for more on their activities since! Joachim Roedelius (organ, piano, guitar, electric percussion), Michael Rother (guitar, piano, organ, electric percussion), Dieter Moebius (synthesizer, guitar, electric percussion) MUSIK VON HARMONIA (6-11/73) DELUXE (6/75) Geff Harrison Band Geff, though being Scottish, spent most of his 70's career in German bands, like Twenty Sixty Six & Then, I Drive and Kin Ping Meh. Actually his own band was Kin Ping Meh in disguise, playing heavy rock and blues numbers. He later went on to a solo career. Geff Harrison (vocals), Peter Oehler (guitar, vocals), Alan Wroe (bass), Astor Astor (drums, vocals), Chris Klöber (keyboards) TOGETHER Hellmut Hattler Not so much a solo project, Helmut Hattler's debut was his personal twist on the Kraan sound, but with a more commercial edge, and very schizophrenic due to the wide range of musicians involved. Since the 70's Hellmut has returned to Kraan on occasions, as well as working on other projects, like the de Winkel/Hattler album below, and more recently as the duo Hattler & Krause. Hellmut Hattler (vocals, bass, percussion), + Peter Wolbrandt (guitar, vocals), Ingo Bischof (keyboards, synthesizer, string ensemble), Nops Noppeney (viola), Jan Fride (drums), Gerd Dudek (tenor sax), Elmer Louis (congas), Curt Cress (drums, percussion), Joey Albrecht (guitars), Andy Göldner (vocals), Roland Schaeffer (alto sax) BASSBALL (4-7/77) Hausmusik Basically Guru Guru Sunband, without Mani Neumeier, Hausmusik were a surprising combo, playing a crazed, underground weird rock and fusion, the total antithesis of HEY DU! It's a great shame they only got to release a cassette. Gerald Luciano Hartwig (guitar, sitar, bass, percussion, voice, flute), Ingo Bischof (synthesizers, bass, percussion), Butze Fischer (tabla, percussion, voice), Roland Schaeffer (soprano sax, guitar, flutes), EAR MAIL (1980) Häx Cel Flute fronted (notably an edge of "Bouree" type Jethro Tull) & largely instrumental live album. Slight hints of Satin Whale & Novalis, although much less professional. Dieter Neumann (flute, vocals), Achim Neubauer (electric piano), Michael Moebius (bass, vocals), Rainer Greffrath (drums) Albioni / Difference ZWAI (29/10/72) Haze A complex heavy progressive featuring guitars to the fore and a bizarre vocalist, Haze were typical of the Bacillus sound yet were also unique, venturing on to psychedelic and blues realms. Dietmar Löw (bass), Heinz Schwab (solo guitar), Hans-Jürg Frei (organ, guitar), Christian Scherler (vocals), Kurt Frei (drums) HAZECOLOR-DIA (4/71) Zeus B. Held For the man that pushed Birth Control on to more complex progressive rock, Zeus' solo debut ZEUS' AMUSEMENT was quite a surprise: a potpourri of styles from a corny vocoder version of "The Fool On The Hill" via Kraftwerk style electro-pop, progressive rock, spacey synth music, etc., on to some really good fusion. On his next album, he continued in a similar vein. EUROPIUM featured the Kraftwerk-like and synthesized styles more, and is less patchy. The third album we haven't heard. ZEUS' AMUSEMENT (11/77-1/78) EUROPIUM ATTACK TIME (1979-81) Hoelderlin From Wuppertal, 20 miles or so east of Düsseldorf, Hölderlin evolved out of a 60's folk group playing Fairport Convention and Pentangle songs. They took their name from the 19th Century writer Friedrich Hölderlin. Originally, they were a family band, the core was the brothers Christian and Jochen Grumbcow, with Christian's wife Nanny as lead singer. Their debut HÖLDERLIN'S TRAUM (aka "Hoelderlin's Dream") aptly lived up to its title, superbly recorded at Dierks' studio, with a trippy cosmic feel, progressive folk, full of rich textures, psychedelic, medieval and classical touches. The multiple strings: violins, cellos, acoustic guitars, along with flutes, piano, and rock instruments including Mellotron, made for a rich diversity, all topped-off by Nanny's delicate singing. Three years on, Nanny had left, and one Joachim Käseberg had joined. There was a big change though, with a shift to electric rock instruments. HOELDERLIN presented a new style, opening with "Schwebebahn", an instrumental that riffs at breakneck speed, with the king-pin of the new sound: Nops Noppeny's electric viola to the fore. Hints of Genesis and King Crimson were added. CLOWNS & CLOUDS saw a split into two styles: "Clown Side" being more song-based and complex, with hints of Genesis and Caravan, and "Cloud Side" with largely instrumental lengthy tracks fronted by Nops' viola moving closer to King Crimson. Christian Grumbcow moved on to become the band's manager, after this. RARE BIRDS was Hoelderlin perfected, deep and otherworldly. A magical album, sedate yet also dynamic, the ultimate track of all being the Pablo Weeber penned "Necronomicon". The double LIVE TRAUMSTADT, recorded two months later, proved them to be an amazing live band. With only eight tracks, much of it RARE BIRDS and CLOWNS & CLOUDS material, the extended space resulted in a much more instrumental music. The tour-de-force is the exclusive "Die Stadt" which trips out to King Crimson realms, but with that uniquely Hoelderlin cosmic touch. Following this, the band disintegrated and regrouped, but never regained the magic. NEW FACES featured Eduard Schicke from SFF, along with other new names, but it disappointed with a mildly progressive trendy styled rock, virtually all their originality had been squeezed out, to make a safe easily digestible music. FATA MORGANA was even less interesting. Nanny de Ruig (vocals), Nops Noppeney (violin, viola, piano, flute), Peter Käseberg (bass, acoustic guitar, vocals), Michael Bruchmann (drums, percussion), Jochen Grumbcow (cello, flute, acoustic guitar, piano, organ, Mellotron), Christian Grumbcow (guitars), + Peter Bursch (sitar), Mike Hellbach (tablas), Walter Westrupp (flute) HÖLDERLINS TRAUM (1/72) HOELDERLIN (2/75) CLOWNS & CLOUDS (1/76) RARE BIRDS (6-8/77) LIVE TRAUMSTADT (24-25/10/77) NEW FACES (5-6/79) FATA MORGANA (3-8/81) Michael Hoenig Originally the synthesizer player from Agitation Free, Michael didn't really become known internationally until after he'd toured as a member of Tangerine Dream. He'd also played together with Klaus Schulze in Timewind, and with Ash Ra Tempel's Manuel Göttsching. His solo debut was an instant winner with Tangerine Dream fans, combining strong sequencer lines and waves of synthesizer sound, in the characteristic Teutonic style. After this, Michael moved to America to set up his own studio. And, although his first USA solo was rather poor techno new-age, he has become quite successful composing film soundtracks. Notably, he was musical director of the Godfrey Reggio movie "Koyaanisqatsi", scored by Philip Glass, which also featured some music by Michael. Most of his soundtrack work is, as yet, unreleased. Michael Hoenig (synthesizers, keyboards), + Micky Duwe (voice), Lutz Ulbrich (guitar), Uschi (voice) DEPARTURE FROM THE NORTHERN WASTELAND (1976-77) Ibliss Borne out of the confused Kraftwerk history, and taken under the wing of Conny Plank, Ibliss were one of the most remarkable one album wonders. Featuring Basil Hammoudi (from Organisation) and Andreas Hohmann (one of the two drummers on the first Kraftwerk album) augmenting a trio of no less talent, Ibliss created a logical jazz-fusion diversion on the Organisation sound, heavily featuring flutes, saxes and an overdose of percussion. All this in a typically Teutonic cosmic concoction, kinda Kraftwerk meets Miles Davis and ROCKSESSION era Embryo, and also hinting at the later Kollektiv. It's a great shame they only released the one album! Rainer Buechel (saxes, flutes), Wolfgang Buellmeyer (guitars, percussion), Norbert Buellmeyer (bass, percussion), Andreas Hohmann (drums, percussion), Basil Hammoudi (percussion, flutes, vocals) SUPERNOVA (4-5/72) Ice An obscure progressive rock band established in Bad Kreuznach in the mid-70's, existing for several years (only releasing singles) before an album in 1980. By this time, Ice had moved to more basic hard-rock styled realms, in the vein of guitar-oriented Jane or Harlis. Ice's debut wasn't really any opus as suggested by the title, but is typical of this German genre. The band leader Alexander Russ later formed the Heavy Metal band Foxx, and is now with the instrumental guitar duo Avalon. Hubert Benz (bass, vocals), Alexander Russ (drums), Heinz Gerber (guitar, vocals), + Helmut Christmann (guitar) Never Feel Good / Dreaming In The Morning Set Me Free / Waitin' Sunshine OPUS 1 (7-9/1/80) I.D. Company Seemingly an impromptu special studio session project, I.D. Company (aka "Inga Rumpf and Dagmar Krause Company") made a remarkable experimental album, crossing rock, jazz, ethnic and avant-garde musics, with Inga handling the vocals on one side and Dagmar the other. Whereas Inga's side fringes rock, hinting at the style she'd develop in Frumpy, Dagmar's side is all the more weirder, and is in fact amongst her strangest work. Historically, the background as to why this album existed, is unknown, though both Inga and Dagmar were ex-members of The City Preachers. The results were an indescribably varied and radical album, and one of the oddest releases of the early-70's. Inga went on to Frumpy after this, and Dagmar later joined Slapp Happy. Inga Rumpf (vocals), Dagmar Krause (vocals), Frank St. Peter (sax, flute), Hans Hartmann (sitar, bass), Joe Nay (percussion), Wolfgang Kliegel (violin) I.D. COMPANY
Idetemp Idetemp, as far as I recall is actually some solo experimentalist, a guitarist predominantly with a taste for use and abuse of effects. The album he made was a mysterious, very strange and deranged experimental private production, featuring mangled guitar sounds and much abstract sound manipulation. It's an early, but crude, example of German indie new-wave/industrial front, often as avant-garde as it is rock. 1983...AND SHE TOLD ME I WAS DIE I Drive A British band, who essentially became part of the German scene, featuring in their early days future Twenty Sixty Six & Then and Kin Ping Meh vocalist Geff Harrison. Basically a straight hard-rock band, with a few more progressive and classical rock touches courtesy of the keyboard player. To be honest, they weren't so interesting, and only of historical note really. David Bailey (drums), Les Graham (bass), Richard Hampson (guitar), Geff Harrison (vocals), John Barry Smith (keyboards) Classic Rigby, Parts 1 & 2 I DRIVE I DRIVE (1971-72) Ihre Kinder Formerly a beat band in existence since the mid-60's, known as Jonah & The Whales, Ihre Kinder established themselves in 1968 as a unique and very German band on the edge of pop but with folk and progressive tendencies. As such their sound had little appeal outside their homeland. They had a few hit singles early on, but their polit-rock aesthetic didn't really catch the ear of the pop fan, and vice versa, they were generally too pop styled to appeal to progressive fans. Their debut LP was virtually a collection of pop songs, and is only likely to appeal to those fond of German beat. Their albums after this, the first three released by Kuckuck, are the only ones from their output really worthy of any attention. Though, having said that LEERE HÄNDE was still rather patchy! 2375 004 (also known as "Jeans Cover") was possibly the best, though WERDOHL contained their most experimental works. After this, their long-serving lead guitarist Muck Groh left, eventually turning up in Aera a few years later. The major songwriters in the band: Sonny Hennig and Ernst Schultz both went onto solo careers. Also, Ihre Kinder have reformed on numerous occasions since. Sonny Hennig (organ, piano, vocals), Muck Groh (guitar, vocals), Walti Schneider (bass, vocals), Olders Frenzel (drums), Georgie Meyer (violin), Judith Brigger (vocals) IHRE KINDER LEERE HÄNDE (1-2/70) 2375 004 (8/70) WERDOHL ANFANG OHNE ENDE Ikarus A typical Teutonic progressive rock fusion band (from Hamburg) of the Thirsty Moon, Os Mundi type, Ikarus were fronted by the prolific Jochen Petersen handling all manner of wind instruments. It's a great shame that Ikarus didn't exist for very long, but they were fortunate in that Jochen had his own label! With a gloomy air, quotes from Edgar Allan Poe and a hint of Van Der Graaf Generator, all in a multi-textured blend drawing in jazz and classical musics. Ikarus were uniquely spacious, dynamic, and full of surprises! Wolf Dieter Strunz (organ, piano), Jochen Petersen (guitars, alto/tenor saxes, flute, clarinet, vocals), Manfred Schulz (guitar, vocals), Wolfgang Kracht (bass, vocals), Lorenz Köhler (vocals), Bernd Schröder (drums, percussion) IKARUS (2/71) Ikarus Not to be confused with the earlier Hamburg band, these were an obscure Berlin folk-progressive with a lyrical style and numerous influences. Often their sound is close to DDR bands like Bayon or early City, combining Eastern and Western folk musics, with traditional style songs, ballads and rock. Other comparisons (when listening to NACHTFLUG) included Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) style flute, hints of Ougenweide, and themes reminiscent of Floh De Cologne songs. Wolfgang Heinze (guitar, vocals), Mohammad Tahmasebi (dombac), Florian Schneider (guitar), Christoph Bernhard (cello), Beto Romero (bass) IKARUS NACHTFLUG SOLARIS Irmin's Way A recent discovery, Irmin's Way were an obscure mid-70's Anglo-German band who recorded an LP in 1976, that remained unreleased and lost until 1995. Taking their name from the Saxon god that slayed a dragon, their conceptual opus was steeped in mythology too. In the classic tradition of Krautrock bands of the era, Irmin's Way notably drew on the cosmic side of Pink Floyd, close to Belgian's Dragon, or towards Gäa's psychedelic space-tripping. A touch amateurish, and not that well produced, it is nonetheless a classic of the genre. OPUS; DESTROY (1976) Island In essence, Island could be seen as some sort of Swiss supergroup, though really they were the evolution from a number of bands, originating from Deaf, whilst also interconnected with Toad (but not ex-Brainticket as often reputed) and Circus, as well as other lesser-knowns. So many origins and influences resulted in Island creating a refined and complex style. Apparently sessions exist with various line-ups circa 1974-77, of which one such work is included on the recent CD reissue of their LP. On their sole album PICTURES, which was aptly as gloomy and as strange as H.R. Giger's visionary cover art, Island's music oozed invention. Often quoted as the Swiss Van Der Graaf Generator, Island had a similar feel, with a very odd instrumentation for a rock band and a vocalist who sounds like a hybrid of Peter Hammill (with a German accent) with a few Peter Gabriel touches. They were by no means copyists however, like Berlin's acclaimed Van Der Graaf Generator: Metropolis, Island had all sorts of unique elements at play, full of gloom and sinister lyrics. PICTURES has justly been acclaimed as one of the masterpieces of Swiss rock. Benjamin Jäger (vocals, percussion), Güge Jürg Meier (drums, percussion), Peter Scherer (keyboards, pedal-bass, voice), René Fisch (saxes, flute, clarinet, voice) PICTURES (24/7-3/8/77) Ivory Formed out of two Munich based student groups: Pipedream and My Sound, when My Sound's keyboardist introduced his father to British progressive rock. Ulrich Sommerlatte was the conductor of the Hannover Symphony Orchestra, and was fascinated how rock was becoming the vehicle for new interpretations of classical music and such like (no doubt he'd been listening to ELP), and thus he took his classical composition knowledge and applied it to rock music in his own unique manner. Although ignored by the media, Ivory eventually managed to get an album released. SAD CYPRESS presented a mature and richly crafted progressive strongly featuring keyboards, yet highly derivative of Genesis, Gentle Giant, Yes, etc. Ulrich Sommerlatte (keyboards), Thomas Sommerlatte (keyboards), Christian Mayer (lead vocals, guitars), Goddie Daum (guitars), Charly Stechl (bass, flute), Fredrik Rittmueller (drums), + Antonio Agnissanti (Latin vocals) SAD CYPRESS (1979) Jackboot One of numerous short-lived supergroup's featuring Lothar Meid during the 70's, Jackboot had little identity as a German rock band. Straight song-based hard-rock, with little invention, their sole album gained international release, but still remained unknown! Wolfgang Jaas (vocals), Karl Allaut (guitar), Lothar Meid (bass), Bertram Passmann (drums) JACKBOOT ANGEL Jane The history of Jane goes back a long way. Originally, the roots of Jane emerge out of the Hannover rock scene in the late-60's, from a group called Justice Of Peace (aka The JP's), who released a single "Save Me/The War" (Studioton 671091) in 1969. Obviously a lot had changed by the time they were renamed Jane, as they were the first of a new breed of progressives, hot on the heels of Pink Floyd but playing such music with a more Teutonic heavy progressive style featuring strong songs, thick wedges of keyboards and guitars. Their debut album TOGETHER was a very powerful and trippy album fronted by the unusual blues singer Bernd Pulst, with a music adrift with swirling organ, great riffs, and a unique twist on the Dave Gilmour type of guitar sound. A little towards the realms of classic Frumpy, but spacier. After Bernd Pulst's departure, Jane never really regained the awe-inspiring spirit of TOGETHER, though they did continually progress, surprise, and in the course of doing so became quite successful. Actually HERE WE ARE was a very good sequel, a bit haphazard and varied, but with much experimentation, and a number of surprising new ideas. JANE III found Charly Maucher returning and fronting the band alongside Klaus Hess, for a much more gutsy hard-rock guitar oriented excursion. An odd diversion really, It seemed like Jane were gradually losing their identity, especially so on LADY on which they drafted in Gottfried Janko (from Dull Knife) which covered an even wider range of styles. Time for a rethink, and Jane entered a second renaissance, first with the return of Werner Nadolny on the more atmospheric concept album FIRE, WATER, EARTH & AIR, and then with the ex-Eloy keyboardist Manfred Wieczorke. Jane again hit a peak of creativity, stepping back to the original Jane sound, but with a much more cosmic Pink Floyd cum Eloy edge blending in with the Jane hard-rock style. Notably the LIVE AT HOME double is essential Jane featuring many new tracks. Whereas BETWEEN HEAVEN & HELL and AGE OF MADNESS were albums of great contrast, with more accessible tracks juxtaposed against more unusual ones. SIGN NO. 9 heralded a straighter rock song based style, the end of the Jane we knew, and although during the 80's Jane persisted they did little of any merit. Eventually, after a moderately successful solo, long-standing stalwart Klaus Hess left the ranks, taking his unique compositional style with him. Bernd Pulst (vocals), Klaus Hess (guitar), Werner Nadolny (organ, flute), Charly Maucher (bass, vocals), Peter Panka (drums, percussion) TOGETHER (1971) Here We Are / Redskin HERE WE ARE JANE III (13-20/2/74) Bambule-Rock / Feuer Auf Der Dragonia Credited to: Der Chef (Jane's only songs in German!) LADY (11/74+1/75) FIRE, WATER, EARTH & AIR (11/75) LIVE AT HOME (13/8/76) featured on: BRAIN FESTIVAL ESSEN BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL (2/77) AGE OF MADNESS (2/78) SIGN NO. 9 (1979) JANE (6/80) GERMANIA (5/82) BEAUTIFUL LADY (1/86) LIVE '89 (1989) Janus Not actually a German band, Janus were an enigma for almost two decades - as they were actually British! Their album GRAVEDIGGER however, was very much a product of the Krautrock era, as Janus were based in Germany at the time, and even Harvest presented them as a Krautrock band! All the production and other credits were courtesy of German luminaries, and it had that Teutonic feel: blending heavy rock with psychedelic and cosmic musics, so it's definitely worthy of inclusion here. The reformation and demo recordings that have been issued since however are of no real interest. Keith Bonthrone, Derek Hyett, Bruno Lord, Colin Orr, Mick Peberdy, Roy Yates GRAVEDIGGER (1/72) Jeronimo Initially a pop trio with hard-rock and psychedelic overtones, their curiously titled debut album COSMIC BLUES was just a collection of all their early singles. Later, after a major change in personnel (notably Rainer Marz went solo) with only one original member, the third album also saw a big change in style. Here, Dieter Dierks was in control of the recording, helping them create a richly crafted progressive. TIME RIDE blended folky and dynamically arranged rock works, notable for some stunning keyboards. After many years apart the original Jeronimo reformed in 1982 and issued a new single version of their biggest hit: "Heya". Gunnar Schäfer (vocals, bass), Hajo Born (vocals, drums), Rainer Marz (vocals, guitar) COSMIC BLUES (1969-70) Kind Of Feelin' / Save Our Souls, SOS JERONIMO TIME RIDE (3/72) Joco-Dev-Sextett Based on their HALLO series contributions, this DDR progressive were greatly inspired by British acts like Jade Warrior, Raw Material, et al., but they added a psychedelic feel kind of like Die Puhdys, with a little Krautrock feeling too. A unique combination. We don't know of any album releases, which is a shame, as they could be quite phenomenal. featured on: HALLO, NR. 1, 3, 8 Jonathan An instrumental synth-rock duo of unknown origin, with strong Camel inspiration and the accent on melody, akin to ACI and also French synthi-rock styles like Space Art or Saint Preux. Peter Garattoni (drums), Helmut Grab (synthesizers, electric piano, string ensemble), + Emil Wirth (bass), Ulrich Bühl (synthesizer, pianos) JONATHAN (5/78) Joy Unlimited Originally a Mannheim pop band fronted by the powerful female vocalist Joy Fleming under the guise of Joy & The Hit Kids, they moved on to progressive and very different realms by the late-60's and adopted the name Joy Unlimited to record OVERGROUND featuring numerous cover-versions of well-known songs. Their second SCHMETTERLINGE was an odd album for the Pilz label, a complex and ambitious conceptual rock ballet suite performed by a larger much more multi-instrumental ensemble. It ran a wide gamut of styles, from spacious jazz, via psychedelic rock onto a wild tongue-in-cheek raunchy blues, where Joy invites the listener to indulge with her sexually in a most profane manner! A fascinating and unique album. After this, Joy went on to pursue a successful solo career, and the band continued without her. American singer Ken Traylor replaced Joy on REFLECTIONS, an album that developed themes from SCHMETTERLINGE, but with a varied rock fusion as explored by many British bands of the era, like Raw Material or Gravy Train. In sharp contrast, with German Joschi Dinier as vocalist, on MINNE the style changed to a very Teutonic, slightly Floh De Cologne like, progressive folk. Joy Fleming (vocals), Hans Herkeene (drums), Albin Metz (bass, trumpet, trombone), Roland Heck (piano, organ, vocals), Dieter Kindl (bass, tenor sax, vocals), Klaus Nagel (guitars, flute, vocals) Jubeldown / Helpless Child OVERGROUND Silvergun / Peace Train SCHMETTERLINGE Early Morning Moanin' / Proud Angelina featured on: HEAVY CHRISTMAS REFLECTIONS MINNE Das Neue Topset / Qua Qua Pa Pa Qua Go Easy Go Bahn / Komm Mit In Die Welt Kaarst A very unusual lightweight folky band, with odd instrumentation and sometimes even stranger songs. The mood seems to imply that maybe they were all stoned-out-of-their-minds. A very amateurish sounding production, FROM OUR FRIENDS TO OUR FRIENDS is a very obscure one too. Maybe it was just made for their friends? R. Firchow (vocals, flute, guitar), J. Hahn (vocals), H. Klöcker (electric piano), D. Degen (bass, 12-string guitar), A. Degen (percussion, vocals, bass), G. Halfas (guitar, vocals), A. Adams (percussion), V. Ochsenkrecht (percussion) FROM OUR FRIENDS TO OUR FRIENDS Kalacakra Quite offbeat and unique for a German band, Kalacakra were an obscure duo, of whom we know nothing historically, making only the one self-produced album. Their music combined various folk and Eastern influences, slightly hinting at the Third Ear Band and Popol Vuh, but closest to Clark-Hutchinson on their album A=MH². Kalakacra's blend of mantras, blues, folk and stoned psychedelia, gained CRAWLING TO LHASA a well deserved curiosity value, yet they were an altogether more eclectic and strange band than any of their possible mentors. Claus Rauschenbach (guitars, congas, percussion, vocals, harmonica), Heinz Martin (guitar, flute, piano, vibes, cello, violin, synthesizer) CRAWLING TO LHASA Kaputter Hamster An amusing name for a band "Broken Hamster", and one of the many unknowns of Krautrock, that produced just the one extremely obscure privately issued album. They played a brand of Krautrock drawing on diverse influences, the folky trippy feel of Amon Düül contrasting with the heavy blues progressive in the realms of Jane through to The Groundhogs. Peter N. Buchfeld (vocals, guitar, percussion), Frank Linde (vocals, guitars, percussion), Holger Heldt (bass, acoustic guitar), Arne Linde (drums, percussion), + Wilfried Krickhahn (vocals, guitar, percussion) KAPUTTER HAMSTER (9/74) Karat A bastion of the more commercial DDR progressive front, Karat were formed in 1973 out of the remnants of the jazz and soul progressive band Panta Rhei, and were often used as the backing musicians for many DDR pop singers. Admittedly, in general, Karat were not that impressive a band, at their best they were imitative of Novalis, Pink Floyd or Electra, and even their best album ÜBER SIEBEN BRÜCKEN was very patchy. Later albums (not listed here) were little more than pop music. Herbert Dreilich (vocals, guitar), Hans-Joachim Neumann (vocals), Henning Protzmann (bass, vocals), Bernd Römer (guitar), Michael Schwandt (drums), Ulrich Swillms (keyboards) KARAT ÜBER SIEBEN BRÜCKEN (1979) SCHWANENKÖNIG (1980) DER BLAUE PLANET (1982) DIE SIEBEN WUNDER DER WELT Jürgen Karg A surprising diversion from the former Wolfgang Dauner bassist, that's not jazz in any sense of the word! What Jürgen came up with on ELEKTRONISCHE MYTHEN had more in common with early Klaus Schulze, Tangerine Dream's ZEIT, or more atmospheric electronic Karlheinz Stockhausen, being performed on four EMS synthesizers and other devices. It's a fascinating record, atmospheric yet very dark and mysterious, and well worth checking out. Jürgen Karg (synthesizers, sequencer, electronics) ELEKTRONISCHE MYTHEN (1972-77) Chris Karrer Long time guitarist and multi-instrumental talent with Amon Düül II and Embryo, Chris first tried his hand at a solo project in 1980 when he was understandably dissatisfied with the direction Amon Düül II were heading. Still, it had little to commend it, being merely a development of his own familiar song style and the Amon Düül II of the era. The much more recent DERVISH KISS comes after working with Popol Vuh, serving much time with Embryo, and working with the likes of Rabih Abou-Khalil. Aside from some occasional Amon Düül II and Embryo touches, it's so ethnic it barely sounds at all like a Chris Karrer album! Chris Karrer (vocals, guitars, soprano sax, violin), + Curt Cress (drums, percussion), Gerard Carbonel (bass), George Mehl (keyboards), Jörg Evers (guitar, bass, choir) CHRIS KARRER (1979) Karthago Formed in Berlin in 1970, the musicians of Karthago came from all over Germany and from various backgrounds. They were not a true Berlin band. Strongly inspired by British and American bands, Jimi Hendrix was a notable influence, but more so they were into the type of rock fusion garnered by CBS (like Chicago Transit Authority, Argent, Black Widow, Heaven, etc.). Karthago developed a more mainstream style than most Berlin acts, with strong songs, jazz and funk elements, backed up by excellent musicianship. Often they were much more Anglo-American sounding than German. It would seem that BASF were really pleased to sign Karthago up, as their debut LP had the most extraordinary multi-fold-out cover. The album was a fine example of the genre, with many excellent tracks, yet unbefitting such a crazily psychedelic cover! It obviously wasn't such a great success though, as it took 21/2 years for the aptly entitled SECOND STEP to appear, and then there was another lengthy gap till their third. With each album the Karthago sound was becoming less progressive and closer to mainstream rock, though it seems they never gained any greater success due to this. A live double album summed up most of the best material from this era, with some tracks greatly extended. Tommy Goldschmidt (drums, percussion, vocals), Wolfgang Brock (drums, percussion, vocals), Joey Albrecht (guitar, vocals), Ingo Bischof (organ, vocals), Gerald Hartwig (bass, vocals, percussion) KARTHAGO (10/71) SECOND STEP (1972) Johnny B. Goode / Going Down ROCK 'N ROLL TESTAMENT (11-12/74) LIVE AT THE ROXY LOVE IS A CAKE Karussell A more mainstream band in the generic DDR progressive style, not unlike Karat. Their earlier albums show some imagination, but having no real identity of their own, and with the accent on shorter tracks with melodic song content, they steadily went downhill on subsequent albums. Reinhard Huth (vocals, 12-string guitar), Jochen Hohl (drums), Wolf Rüdiger Raschke (keyboards), Bernd Dünnebeil (guitars), Peter Gläser (vocals, guitars), Claus Winter (bass) ENTWEDER ODER DAS EINZIGE LIEBEN Katamaran A lively fusion combo from Heidelberg, Katamaran were often comparable to (late-70's) Guru Guru at their jazziest, which isn't so surprising as Waldemar Karpenkiel's brother Jogi was in Guru Guru circa 1976-77 (both being from Kollektiv) and naturally influences rub off. Katamaran, though, were unique in many ways, not least so for a heavy reliance on percussion and two winds players, and were comparable in feel to many East Euro fusion bands of the era. Wolf Burbat (flute, synthesizers, pianos), Roland Schmitt (soprano/tenor saxes), Franz Holtmann (guitars), Dago Dombrowski (bass, percussion), Rudi Marhold (drums, percussion), Waldemar Karpenkiel (percussion) KATAMARAN CAFÉ FLORIAN (17-19/5/78) Kin Ping Meh Originally a floating group of amateur and pop musicians from Mannheim, Kin Ping Meh never actually formulated a style of their own until joined by Geff Harrison on VIRTUES & SINS. Their best material however, is to be found on their earlier patchy albums which feature jam sessions and experimental compositions amidst the pop-rock tracks. Much of the experimental material was inspired by their association with Achim Reichel and other interconnected bands: Night Sun and Twenty Sixty Six & Then. When Geff Harrison joined as lead singer he turned the band into a tight hard-rock outfit. Though generally what they came up with was of little interest. Geff also later fronted his own band of ex-Kin Ping Meh musicians, and on several occasions since drummer Kalle "Charlie" Weber has reformed Kin Ping Meh unsuccessfully. Kalle Weber (drums, percussion), Torsten Herzog (bass, vocals), Frieder Schmitt (organ, pianos, Mellotron, vocals), Willie Wagner (guitars, harmonica, vocals), Werner Stephan (lead vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion) Everything's My Way / Woman Every Day / Alexandra KIN PING MEH (12/71) NO. 2 (6/72) Sunday Morning Eve / Come Down To The Riverside KIN PING MEH 3 (10/73) VIRTUES & SINS Me And I / Blue Horizon CONCRETE (1975) KIN PING MEH HAZY AGE ON STAGE (1/71-1/73) Klaus Der Geiger Very obscure politico-folk, with hints of Floh De Cologne and Bernd Witthüser. Klaus von Wrochem (violin, vocals), Peter Trunk (bass, piano), Richard Palmer (guitars), Curt Cress (drums), Andy Marx (banjo) ARBEIT MACHT FREI (1973) STRAßENMUSIK Kluster Amidst the active late-60's underground scene at The Zodiac Club in Berlin were three radical experimentalists: Conrad Schnitzler (also of Tangerine Dream), Dieter Moebius (from Austria) and Hans-Joachim Roedelius (from East Berlin), who formed the radical avant-garde band Kluster. All three were long-established musicians and radicals on the Berlin underground scene, and naturally what they would come up with was unlike anything heard before! The concept of Kluster was born out of the 60's "chance music" experiments of Conrad, and the idea to push rock aesthetics into the avant-garde. Although they never possessed any electronic instruments, the music of Kluster was quite extraordinary, featuring guitars, percussion, organ, cello, etc., with an abundance of sound processing devices, echo, tape machines and filters, to create a music that oozed electricity - stark, bleak, industrial, and nightmarishly unnerving. A rough translation from the cover notes of their debut KLOPFZEICHEN reads: "The ensemble Kluster is a progressive pop group. They play the most radical German underground music. Their playing technique is in the manner of Stockhausen and the Gruppa Nuova Consonanza". By a strange quirk of fate, it was a progressive church who had signed up Kluster to release records. Yes, a church! Strangely, they thought that Kluster's music would be the ideal foil for a new way of getting their message across. Apparently, the text sides feature ancient prophetic writings and are designed for religious instruction, whereas the second sides are for meditation! Thankfully, the texts on side 1 of each album fitted in with the music rather well, and due to the obscure message and dialect, even a small understanding of German doesn't reveal too much. After numerous concerts, often not so favourably received by audiences, who were expecting some form of rock music as opposed to Kluster's weird dissonance, the trio split. Conrad established the project Eruption, and then went on to a prolific solo career, whilst Moebius and Roedelius continued without Conrad as the duo Cluster. Just to clear up a minor point, we know some people have listed a Kluster album called SCHWARZ, but actually, this was a Conrad Schnitzler release. Admittedly it may sound like Kluster, albeit much more electronic, indeed it seems to be Conrad reprocessing Kluster recordings, although the tracks were titled "Eruption", the history behind it is obscure. Collectors note: The original pressings of these Kluster albums had green Schwann labels and were housed in elaborate vacuum moulded plastic sleeves. Copies also exist without these sleeves. The 80's reissues had yellow labels and conventional single sleeves of a different design. Just to confuse matters further, the CD reissues have different artwork again! Conrad Schnitzler, Joachim Roedelius & Dieter Moebius (piano, guitar, cello, drums, organ), + Christa Runge (narrator) KLOPFZEICHEN (21/12/70) ZWEI OSTEREI (23/12/70) SCHWARZ Koala-Bär Formed out of the remnants of the Munich underground band Ejwuusl Wessahqqan, Koala Bär played a much lighter blend of rock, with folky and lighter Pink Floyd style touches, and strongly featuring synthesizers. Well, at least that's what the two tracks featured on the Ejwuusl Wessahqqan CD are like, both of which are taken from the cassette release below. Christian Hoffmann, Hieronymus Winzker, Wolfram Graser KOALA-BÄR Helmut Koellen Helmut was the former guitarist and lead-singer with Triumvirat, but his career was cut short when he died in 1977. He did however record sessions for another project. The album YOU WON'T SEE ME, was posthumously collected from these unreleased sessions, issued as a tribute. As an album, it's rather tame and uninspired, and feels unfinished, being in a more song-based rock style than Triumvirat, although it features fellow Triumvirat musicians. Helmut Koellen (vocals, guitar), + Dieter Petereit (bass), Matthias Holtmann (drums), Jürgen Fritz (keyboards) YOU WON'T SEE ME (10-11/76) Kolbe & Illenberger Two extremely talented classical/jazz guitarists, Martin Kolbe and Ralf Illenberger were befriended by Wolfgang Dauner who secured them for release on the Mood Records label. Betwixt them Kolbe & Illenberger would play a multitude of acoustic and electric guitars, in an instrumental blend that mixed all sorts of rock, jazz and folk elements, and even variations on classical music. The effect on WAVES was like a Ralph Towner album, with the invention and texture of Alain Markusfeld. Moving away from their mostly acoustic stance, on TRONIC, they adopted a much more progressive/experimental style, with notable Can, Pink Floyd and new-wave influences creeping in. Kolbe & Illenberger have also worked as the jazz-folk trio KID with Wolfgang Dauner. More recently they have both pursued solo careers in more conventional jazz and new-age realms. Martin Kolbe (guitars, gong, vocals), Ralf Illenberger (guitars, vocals), + Wolfgang Dauner (piano, synthesizer), Eberhard Weber (bass) WAVES (3/78) COLOURING THE LEAVES (4-10/79) FLIEGER (4-11/81) TRONIC (4/82+8/83) Kollektiv The story of Kollektiv is quite complex. Originally a school band playing pop songs in the mid-60's as a trio called The Generals with the twin brothers Jogi and Waldemar Karpenkiel, and Jürgen Havix. During the late-60's the three went their separate ways playing in diverse rock, blues and psychedelic bands. In 1967 Jogi joined The Phantoms, which also featured later Kraftwerk member Ralf Hutter. This band went through several changes of name: Rambo Zambo Bluesband, Bluesology and, after Jogi had left to rejoin The Generals, became Organisation. Also in Bluesology was the talented jazz saxophonist Klaus Dapper who left the band along with Jogi. With Dapper at the helm, The Generals changed style completely and changed name to Kollektiv. It's hardly surprising then that Kollektiv's debut album bore much resemblance to the music of Organisation and early Kraftwerk, a spacious fusion featuring electrified flute and sax, too esoteric and complexly crafted to be called jazz-rock. In fact, along with the likes of Xhol, instrumental Thirsty Moon, Ibliss, et al., Kollektiv exhibited a style that was uniquely German, the jazzier end of Krautrock, full of invention and exceptional musicianship. Like many bands of the era, though they existed for several years on and off, with members moving into other bands like Guru Guru, Katamaran, etc., Kollektiv disappeared into obscurity. Eventually a radically different sounding Kollektiv appeared in the late-80's aided by Swedish bassist Jonas Hellborg, presenting a very lively and high-tech fusion. Jogi Karpenkiel (bass), Waldemar Karpenkiel (drums), Jürgen Havix (guitar, zither), Klaus Dapper (flute, sax) KOLLEKTIV (3/73) KOLLEKTIV FEAT. JONAS HELLBORG Kollektiv Rote Rübe These were a wild and anarchic political theatre group from Berlin, who mostly just performed live, and were quite notorious. For their infrequent LP releases, they were aided by members of Ton Steine Scherben, who added their distinctive agit-rock to Kollektiv Rote Rübe's bizarre, sometimes almost surreal theatrics. A twist on the Floh De Cologne genre perhaps, though being even more eclectic and less musical, Kollektiv Rote Rübe do not appeal that much to non-German ears. Ludwig Böttger, Hans-Peter Cloos, Gerlind Eger, Alfonso Hausmann, Molly Moll & Katja Rupe (vocals), + Ton Steine Scherben (music) PRESENTS: SONGS AUS IHREN STÜCKEN PARANOIA KomKol Apparently, their name is a contraction of Kommunikation Und Kollektiv. An unusual and very obscure early-70's underground progressive, of whom very little is known about them. They played a varied polit-rock, from hard-rock through to folk styled, akin to Ton Steine Scherben and Lokomotive Kreuzberg. Hans-Jürgen Eich (guitars, vocals), Dieter Sallinger (drums, percussion), Thomas Roscher (bass, vocals), Walter Slansky (guitar, congas, vocals), Mischa Zai (organ, pianos, vocals), + Fred Pfirrmann (organ, vocals) INDEX Schmeiß Die Wand An / Solidarität Kraan Born out of a friendship between three free-jazz musicians from Ulm: Peter Wolbrandt, Hellmut Hattler and Jan Fride in the late-60's, they were later joined by sax player Johannes "Alto" Pappert, becoming the hard-rock group Inzest. But it wasn't until they moved to Berlin, and became Kraan with a concept based on rock and jazz, blending in ethnic musics - in particular Arabian music - that they blossomed. But, Berlin wasn't a practical base for a touring band. Their first album was recorded in Munich before relocating to a farmhouse at Wintrup in Westfalen. Kraan's debut is a remarkably original album, that whilst not being overtly weird or experimental, had a groundbreaking original character, especially so for a type of progressive jazz-fusion. Wolbrandt's unusual guitar, Pappert's flowery sax, and a most imaginative song style, were all factors. But, more than that, it was their intuitive playing, Arabic textures (witness the extraordinary "Kraan Arabia") blending in a psychedelic spiced fusion, resulting in what was uniquely Kraan. Their second album WINTRUP, named after their new home, was a much calmer light-hearted album, more song-based yet still eclectically Kraan. And a fusion of the styles of both those albums lead to the more developed sound of ANDY NOGGER and LIVE (a double album recorded in Berlin's "Quartier Latin") which gained Kraan the chance to tour Britain. LIVE was Kraan's hottest moment on vinyl, having many of their favourite tracks extended with great energy, and being largely instrumental giving all the musicians ample room to really let go. Karthago's Tommy Goldschmidt had been guesting on hand percussion in concert, and was followed by their keyboard player Ingo Bischof who joined Kraan for LET IT OUT. Johannes Pappert left during the recording (to head his own project Alto) and the attempts to make the Kraan sound more commercial didn't work, resulting in a patchy album, one that was still uniquely Kraan, but not of the calibre of earlier releases. Subsequent Kraan albums mellowed somewhat, becoming smoother and jazzier, and the stable nucleus of the band fragmented. As with many bands, they have continued well past their "sell by date", though through to the early-80's all their albums contained something of merit. As guest and session musicians (check the index) all of Kraan have been prolific, mostly due to their friendship with Cluster and Guru Guru. Peter Wolbrandt (guitar, vocals, percussion), Hellmut Hattler (bass), Johannes A. Pappert (sax, percussion), Jan Fride (drums, congas) KRAAN (5/72) WINTRUP (11-12/72) ANDY NOGGER (7/74) LIVE (10/74) LET IT OUT (7/75) WIEDERHÖREN FLYDAY (7-9/78) TOURNEE NACHTFAHRT 2 SCHALL-PLATTEN (1977-82) X LIVE 88 (19/10/87) DANCING IN THE SHADE Kraftwerk It's unlikely anyone realised how important and influential Kraftwerk would become, not even the consistent duo nucleus of Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider! Ralf, from a background with underground and fusion bands (Phantoms, Rambo Zambo Bluesband and Bluesology), and Florian, a classically trained flautist, first got together at the Ramscheid Academy in 1968 and hatched the idea of the band Organisation (see entry elsewhere). Two years on, the duo, with the aid of drummers Andreas Hohmann, and then Klaus Dinger, established Kraftwerk (meaning "Power Station", indicating their affinity with the industrial surroundings of Düsseldorf) as an ongoing project for experimental music. Their debut was indeed a most innovative album, featuring four very different tracks, each a fascinating excursion into a new music, often extreme and challenging. With its use of metronomic rhythms, unpredictable schizophrenic cut-about editing and dynamics, both catchy and numbingly weird, it hinted strongly at later works by Can, Faust and Neu! During this era many musicians passed through the band: Michael Rother (from Spirit Of Sound) for one, he together with Klaus Dinger went on to form Neu!, and also there was Eberhard Kranemann (aka Fritz Müller) who also worked with Neu! live. Other musicians would join Kraftwerk later, yet on the second Kraftwerk LP they were down to the duo of Ralf and Florian alone (with much aid from Conny Plank) making liberal use of multi-tracking. A rarity in those days, as multi-track quality studios were few and far between, and the results were possibly the strangest of Kraftwerk's entire output, being dark, strange and very avant-garde. After amassing a good deal of electronic gadgetry the Kraftwerk sound took a step towards the synth-rock/electro-pop they were to become famous for. The first step was the schizophrenic, yet sometimes Harmonia-like RALF & FLORIAN which added synthesizer melodies to their industrial type rhythms and Florian's flute. The biggest step, in commercial terms, was AUTOBAHN, which spawned a surprise hit single, setting the trend that would become a big influence on the new-wave in the late-70's. Each Kraftwerk album from hereon was a step closer to catchy pop music. Their mid-70's releases were still of interest though. RADIOAKTIVITÄT had its moments, with its crackling electronics, Mellotrons and weird humour. Though, as far as innovation goes, the last Kraftwerk album of note was 1977's metronomic rhythmic excursion TRANS-EUROPE EXPRESS. From THE MAN MACHINE onwards, Kraftwerk may have continued to be influential, but their output had moved well out of the scope of this book, becoming mainstream techno-pop. Ralf Hütter (organ), Florian Schneider (flute, violin, electric percussion), Andreas Hohmann (drums), Klaus Dinger (drums) KRAFTWERK (7-9/70) KRAFTWERK 2 (26/9-1/10/71) RALF & FLORIAN (5-7/73) Kohoutek-Kometenmelodie AUTOBAHN RADIOAKTIVITÄT TRANS EUROPA EXPRESS DIE MENSCH MASCHINE Kravetz Jean-Jacques Kravetz was best known as the keyboard maestro in Frumpy. An extraordinary talent, it's strange that he left to work in more commercial music with Udo Lindenberg. His "solo" album was in fact the Udo Lindenberg band with Kravetz at the helm, for a more progressive outing. Although a patchy album, it had some excellent moments, notably some lengthy instrumental breaks and much Frumpy influence. Jean-Jacques Kravetz (organ, piano, synthesizer, percussion), Udo Lindenberg (drums, vocals, percussion), Carl-G. Stephan (bass), Thomas Kretzschmer (guitar), + Inga Rumpf (vocals), Roger Hook (acoustic guitar) KRAVETZ (4/72) Volker Kriegel A bastion of German modern jazz and a pioneer of jazz-rock, Volker Kriegel perfected his unique guitar style with the likes of Albert Mangelsdorff and the Dave Pike Set in the 60's. He's often remembered as one of the first musicians to play sitar in German jazz-fusion. In 1971 he established his own jazz-rock band Spectrum, a veritable supergroup featuring many well known names. The line-up was flexible, as many of the musicians were involved in other projects too, including many top international names. The Spectrum sound was a cool and relaxed jazz-rock with good use of dynamics and lots of room for solos. Volker has continued as a prolific and influential musician with numerous albums, and collaborations with other musicians. Volker Kriegel (guitar, vibes), + Peter Trunk (basses), Cees See (drums), Claudio Szenkar (vibes), Günter Lenz (bass), Peter Baumeister (drums, percussion) WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS SPECTRUM (2/71) INSIDE: MISSING LINK (21-23/3/72) LIFT! (3/73) featured on: HEIDELBERG JAZZTAGE '73 (1973) SPECTRUM - MILD MANIAC (2/74) TROPICAL HARVEST (12/75) ELASTIC MENU (12/77) Krokodil Krokodil (German for "Crocodile") were constantly promoted by the labels they signed to as a Krautrock band, yet though they had the spirit of Krautrock in their veins, the truth was that they were Swiss! Naturally, Liberty tried to present them as the Krautrock answer to The Groundhogs. Well, Krokodil did have blues origins, they really knew how to rock-it and had a flair for the experimental, so they did have the same sort of attitude as The Groundhogs. But, all that aside, Krokodil were innovators in their own right, not at all copyist, except for maybe their John Mayall type roots. Like most Swiss bands, Krokodil were an unlikely combo, mostly of German-Swiss extraction, with one Englishman: Terry Stevens. Early on, the quoted "Swiss Bob Dylan" Hardy Hepp seemed to be in control, his softer folk and blues mix, and Mojo Weideli's harmonica, gave them a more down-to-earth sound. After Hardy's departure for a solo career, Krokodil really blossomed with the extraordinary AN INVISIBLE WORLD REVEALED, an album that took on all sorts of ethnic and fusion elements, becoming like a hybrid of Amon Düül II, Man and Third Ear Band, all mixed into that unique Krokodil style. Ethnic elements had figured in earlier Krokodil recordings, but not so much as here, where the sitar, tablas and flute are heavily featured. Krokodil had become the finest of Swiss Krautrock bands. A change of label, to Bacillus, their next Date: 2015-12-18; view: 1758
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